Thanksgiving is a time for family and reflection but it is also an opportunity to get caught up on holiday movies. Here are 15 festive films shot over the US Thanksgiving holidays.
Movies for Teens and Adult Audiences
1. Spider-Man (2002)
It’s definitely worth streaming Tobey Maguire’s first outing as Spider-Man - a character he’d reprise 20 years later. Maguire is joined by the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), and Harry Osborn (James Franco) who share a Thanksgiving meal. So what’s it like playing a superhero? “The suit can definitely be a challenge at times when you gotta get in the full thing,” Maguire said. “By getting comfortable in it, there is something funny, it just helps as an actor when you get in your costume, you begin to feel it more and embody it.” (Apple TV, Disney+, Google Play, YouTube)
2. The Oath (2018)
This dark comedy is set in the not-too-distant future. Americans are being asked to sign a Patriot Oath, a pledge of loyalty to the government. Chris (Ike Barinholtz) and his wife (Tiffany Haddish) react to the news with disbelief. Things go from bad to worse as Thanksgiving approaches. The combination of warring relatives and the arrival of two secretive government officials ensures their holiday goes off the rails. So how would the Hollywood stars feel about singing a Loyalty Oath? “Maybe I would because I'm a coward,” Barinholtz said, but Haddish wasn’t having any of it: “No.” (YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu, Prime Video)
3. American Gangster (2007)
Even gangsters like turkey. Denzel Washington stars in Ridley Scott’s true-life crime drama about Frank Lucas, a Harlem drug trafficker who takes revenge on a dirty police officer (Josh Brolin) by sending him a turkey in a cage for Thanksgiving but you’ll have to watch the movie to find out what Lucas does to his sports car. What did Denzel think the first time he met Lucas? “First of all he's a charmer," Denzel recalled. "He's just got this powerful personality. He'll start off seeming very humble and small but he'll end up running the whole room." (Netflix, Prime Video)
This story is part of our weekly briefing. Sign up to receive the FREE briefing to your inbox.
Thanksgiving is a time for family and reflection but it is also an opportunity to get caught up on holiday movies. Here are 15 festive films shot over the US Thanksgiving holidays.
Movies for Teens and Adult Audiences
1. Spider-Man (2002)
It’s definitely worth streaming Tobey Maguire’s first outing as Spider-Man - a character he’d reprise 20 years later. Maguire is joined by the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), and Harry Osborn (James Franco) who share a Thanksgiving meal. So what’s it like playing a superhero? “The suit can definitely be a challenge at times when you gotta get in the full thing,” Maguire said. “By getting comfortable in it, there is something funny, it just helps as an actor when you get in your costume, you begin to feel it more and embody it.” (Apple TV, Disney+, Google Play, YouTube)
2. The Oath (2018)
This dark comedy is set in the not-too-distant future. Americans are being asked to sign a Patriot Oath, a pledge of loyalty to the government. Chris (Ike Barinholtz) and his wife (Tiffany Haddish) react to the news with disbelief. Things go from bad to worse as Thanksgiving approaches. The combination of warring relatives and the arrival of two secretive government officials ensures their holiday goes off the rails. So how would the Hollywood stars feel about singing a Loyalty Oath? “Maybe I would because I'm a coward,” Barinholtz said, but Haddish wasn’t having any of it: “No.” (YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu, Prime Video)
3. American Gangster (2007)
Even gangsters like turkey. Denzel Washington stars in Ridley Scott’s true-life crime drama about Frank Lucas, a Harlem drug trafficker who takes revenge on a dirty police officer (Josh Brolin) by sending him a turkey in a cage for Thanksgiving but you’ll have to watch the movie to find out what Lucas does to his sports car. What did Denzel think the first time he met Lucas? “First of all he's a charmer," Denzel recalled. "He's just got this powerful personality. He'll start off seeming very humble and small but he'll end up running the whole room." (Netflix, Prime Video)
Two teens (Christina Ricci and Tobey Maguire) travel home to Connecticut for Thanksgiving in November 1973 as the Watergate scandal threatens Richard Nixon’s presidency. Meanwhile, the suburbs are buzzing with wife-swapping key parties and the worst ice storm in 30 years threatens to prolong the family reunion no one seems to want. Ricci said she hopes other teens can relate to the bitterness her character feels in the face of hypocrisy: "If you see other people going through the things you're going through, you tend to feel like less of a freak and be easier on yourself.” Ricci said. (Microsoft, Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube)
5. The Humans (2021)
Richard Jenkins stars as Erik Blake, patriarch of the Blake family, who gather for Thanksgiving in a cramped New York apartment shared by his daughter and her new boyfriend. As darkness falls, we find tension, repressed secrets, and lies tearing the family apart. Jenkins loved writer/director Stephen Karam's drama: “People hide things when they talk, and that’s what he does in the script. And it’s through that that you see the truth.” (Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft, Apple TV)
6. Scent of a Woman (1992)
Al Pacino’s Oscar-winning role in Scent of a Woman involves a prep school student (Chris O’Donnell) who takes a job as the assistant to an irritable, blind, retired Army lieutenant colonel. The Thanksgiving supper scene with West Wing actor Bradley Whitford is unmissable. Pacino said he had to practice loading and unloading his .45 gun to prepare for the role. Whenever Pacino did well, his tutor - a real-life Army lieutenant colonel - said "Hoo-ah,” which Pacino loved and adopted for the role. (Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Apple TV)
7. Tower Heist (2011)
Tower Heist takes place in November, highlighting Macy's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. The plot revolves around employees of an exclusive apartment building who lose their pensions in a Ponzi scheme. They enlist criminals to steal back their money while trying to avoid FBI agents. The comedy/thriller stars Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, and Casey Affleck. Murphy initially wanted to have an all-black cast of comedians who would rob a Trump hotel but when the script morphed into an Ocean's Eleven-style caper, Murphy left the movie. Luckily for audiences, he was convinced to rejoin in a different role. (Netflix, Google Play, YouTube, Apple TV)
8. The Color Purple (1985)
Steven Spielberg's classic features Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, a woman sold at age 15 to an abusive man. When Celia discovers he has been hiding letters from her sister, she confronts him during a Thanksgiving meal. Oprah Winfrey stars as Sofia and recalled it took months to get a callback from her first audition. Oprah was at a ‘fat farm’ when Spielberg phoned, telling her not to shed a pound because she was perfect as is. ”Honey, I packed my bags in seven minutes and I stopped at the Dairy Queen,” Oprah said. “I got myself three scoops, just in case I lost a pound, and I went to that audition.” (HBO Max, Google Play, Apple TV, Prime Video)
9. Little Fockers (2010)
Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) may have finally earned a place in the "circle of trust" of his CIA-trained father-in-law, Jack (Robert De Niro), after a decade of marriage and two children (the Little Fockers). Jack is suspicious about why Greg is moonlighting with a drug company, however, and nothing runs smoothly over the Thanksgiving holiday. De Niro said he enjoys being part of the franchise: “When you're doing comedy, I have less restrictions or constrictions,” he added. “There's more room for just having fun.” (Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max, Google Play)
10. Home for the Holidays (1995)
After making out with her soon-to-be former boss, losing her job, and learning that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson faces spending the holiday with her family. Directed by Jodie Foster, Home for the Holidays features an exceptional cast including Homeland’s Claire Danes and Iron Man’s Robert Downey Jr. along with Holly Hunter and Anne Bancroft. Foster said it was the best experience she’s ever had on a film set. (Prime Video, Apple TV)
11. The Myth of Fingerprints (1997)
If you haven’t had enough dysfunctional family movies yet, you will want to stream The Myth of Fingerprints. A family gathers for Thanksgiving at their New England home but, as one son returns for the first time in three years, demons reveal themselves. The movie stars Roy Schieder and Julianne Moore. Writer/director Bart Freundlich’s script resembles his own family but not the actual events: “Many of the emotions were based on my experience with my family, as well as other families I've known,” he said. “Each of the characters is a part of me.” (Prime Video, Apple TV)
Children’s Movies
12. Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving (1973)
The entire family can enjoy the classicCharlie Brown’s Thanksgiving (1973) which begins with Lucy, who is enticing Charlie Brown to kick a football she is holding, calling it a Thanksgiving tradition. Lucy then pulls the ball away as usual, noting some traditions fade away. (Apple TV, Prime Video)
13. Free Birds (2013)
Two turkeys travel back in time to prevent their slaughter for Thanksgiving in this computer-animated science fiction comedy. The film stars the voices of Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Amy Poehler. Free Birds won an Annie Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement for Music but the critics were less kind. Note: Free Birds is rated PG for containing some action/peril and saucy humor. (Apple TV)
14. Pocahontas (1995)
Walt Disney’s Pocahontas (1995) is an animated musical and historical drama based on the life of a Powhatan woman, Pocahontas, and the arrival of English colonial settlers from the Virginia Company. This beautifully produced musical was initially met with criticism for taking historical liberties with Pocahontas' age and relationship with Smith. Critics rarely noted that Disney had, for the first time, based an entire movie around an adult female of color. (Disney+, Google Play, YouTube)
15. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
If you’re looking for a comedic break, the family might also enjoy 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop' (2009), an action comedy about a security guard trying to prevent a Black Friday heist. Kevin James stars as Blart, a single dad, who finds he is the only person able to rescue hostages. (Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video)
This story is part of our weekly briefing. Sign up to receive the FREE briefing to your inbox.
Gadgets & Gifts
Put your spy skills to work with these fabulous choices from secret notepads & invisible inks to Hacker hoodies & high-tech handbags. We also have an exceptional range of rare spy books, including many signed first editions.
We all have valuable spy skills - your mission is to discover yours. See if you have what it takes to be a secret agent, with our authentic spy skills evaluation* developed by a former Head of Training at British Intelligence. It's FREE so share & compare with friends now!
